Politics

• Tuesday, April 16th 2013 - 06:21 UTC

  Attack on Boston marathon leaves three dead, 17 critically injured and fears it was a 'terrorist bombing'

  

  An investigation is under way after two explosions near the finishing line of the Boston Marathon left three people dead and more than 100 injured. The FBI has taken over co-ordination of what it described as a “potential terrorist inquiry”.

• Tuesday, April 16th 2013 - 05:55 UTC

  ‘The Argentine joke’ and Cristina Fernandez as Pinocchio, headlines of Brazil’s influential magazine Veja

  

  One of Brazil’s most influential magazines and with the largest circulation, Veja, included a controversial piece which questions Argentina’s economic and social statistics than come under the responsibility of the non less famous Indec.

• Tuesday, April 16th 2013 - 04:57 UTC

  Leading Chavista calls for deep self-criticism following Sunday’s tight vote for Maduro

  

  The president of the Venezuelan parliament and vice-president of the ruling Chavista party, Diosdado Cabello underlined the significance of Sunday’s presidential election and Nicolas Maduro’s victory, but also admitted that the results demand a strong ‘self criticism’.

• Tuesday, April 16th 2013 - 03:32 UTC

  Investors dumping precious metals: gold fall the biggest since 1980

  

  Gold futures plunged more than 9% on Monday, marking the biggest one-day percentage fall in 30 years and extending losses over the past two sessions to more than 13%, as the precious metal pushed deeper into bear market territory. The June contract for gold settled at 1,361.10 dollars an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, 140.30 or 9.3% lower than the previous session's close.

• Tuesday, April 16th 2013 - 02:43 UTC

  Brazil, Unasur full support for Maduro & question Capriles attitude; US and OAS more cautious

  

  Despite opposition protests demanding a ballot recount, congratulations are pouring in for Venezuela’s proclaimed President Nicolas Maduro: Brazil, Argentina, Russia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Cuba, Unasur, although the OAS and the US have adopted a more cautious attitude.

• Tuesday, April 16th 2013 - 02:39 UTC

  Maduro proclaimed elected president; Capriles continues to protest for a recount of ballots

  

  Venezuela's election authority on Monday formally proclaimed Nicolas Maduro the winner of Sunday's presidential vote, despite insistence by the opposition that the ceremony be suspended until a complete recount of votes was carried out given the very tight result.

• Monday, April 15th 2013 - 11:36 UTC

  Growing frustration and recriminations in Uruguayan cabinet over economic policy

  

  Relations inside the Uruguayan cabinet remain tense with some ministers in non-talking terms even when President Jose Mujica cancelled the Monday full ministerial turnout for three specific areas, security, social affairs and production meetings, which function every two weeks.

• Monday, April 15th 2013 - 07:12 UTC

  Bishop from Thatcher’s birthplace warns about the cost of the funeral, ‘a mistake’

  

  The Bishop of Grantham has spoken out about the scale and cost of Margaret Thatcher's funeral. The Rt Rev Tim Ellis, from Baroness Thatcher's birthplace in Lincolnshire, has called the millions likely to be spent a “mistake”.

• Monday, April 15th 2013 - 06:39 UTC

  Capriles won’t accept presidential result until “every vote is recounted, one by one”

  

  Denouncing election irregularities, Venezuelan opposition candidate Henrique Capriles Radonski demanded a recount and said early Monday that he will not recognize the country's presidential results ”until every vote is counted”. His comments came less than an hour after officials said the man former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez handpicked to be his successor had won the country's presidential vote.

• Monday, April 15th 2013 - 06:07 UTC

  Bad start for Maduro: Capriles showing debilitates him inside the Bolivarian nomenclature

  

  Following five hours of a long recount process Venezuela’s National Electoral Council announced early Monday morning that acting president Nicolas Maduro is the new head of state, having defeated Henrique Capriles by less than a two percentage point difference.